How to Protect Yourself and Your Employees from H1N1 Flu
By Paul
Diamond, Web Editor, Vistage International
The
recent outbreak of H1N1 flu (swine flu) has many business owners concerned
for their employees’ health. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released detailed
information on H1N1 flu and says the symptoms are similar to the symptoms of
the common influenza virus. The good news is that most people who
become infected with H1N1 flu will recover without hospitalization or
long-term complications.
Symptoms
The most common H1N1 flu symptoms include:
-
Cough
-
Congestion
-
Nasal
Congestion
-
Body aches
-
Joint
Pains
-
Fever
-
Chills
-
Sore
throat
-
Headache
-
Fatigue
-
Diarrhea
-
Vomiting
-
Decreased
energy
Those who
are immune-compromised, older or pregnant may be at higher risk of
complications or serious respiratory illness.
Transmission
This strain of H1N1 flu is believed to be transmitted, like other human
viral flus, by casual contact or through the air by sneezes or
coughs. Touching or eating pork products will not transmit this flu.
According to the CDC infected people may be able to infect others beginning
one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming
sick. That means you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before
you know you’re sick, as well as while you are sick.
Prevention
Here are actions people can take to help prevent getting or spreading the
flu virus:
-
Cover your
nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in
the trash after you use it.
-
Wash your
hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
-
Avoid
touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
Try to
avoid close contact with sick people.
-
Influenza
is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing
of infected people. Sometimes people may become infected by touching
something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
-
If you get
sick, the CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit
contact with others.
What to do if you suspect you have H1N1 flu
If you live in areas where H1N1 flu cases have been identified and become
ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose,
sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact your
physician. Your doctor will determine whether influenza testing or treatment
is needed.
If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as
much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.
Treatment
Currently, we are at the tail end of our normal flu season, and most people
with flu symptoms simply have a viral infection and not the H1N1
flu. Maintaining adequate hydration is highly important if you contract any
viral illness.
If you contract the H1N1 flu, there are two flu medications which can be
helpful. The CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the
treatment and/or prevention of infection with H1N1 flu. The CDC says that
the antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine will not work against
H1N1 flu.
Young people under the age of 18 with fever or flu symptoms should not be
given Aspirin or aspirin-containing products (such as bismuth subsalicylate
– Pepto Bismol) due to the risk of Reye syndrome.
Travel
Susan Locke, M.D., Medical Director of
Vistage Healthnetwork, discourages any nonessential travel to Mexico at
this time. “If someone needs to go for business,” she said, “I would
recommend seeing his/her physician prior to leaving and to get a
prescription filled for either Tamiflu® or Relenza, both of which are
effective against H1N1 flu. These should be started at the onset of any
flu-like symptoms.”
For those who have recently traveled to Mexico and have any flu-like
symptoms, Susan recommends they go to their physician immediately and get
tested for H1N1 flu.
The
Vistage Healthnetwork is available to assist all U.S. Vistage members
and their families with preventative testing and treatment for all health
concerns.
H1N1 Flu Vaccine
Currently, no vaccine is available to help prevent the H1N1 flu. For those
who received the flu vaccine this year, it does not offer protection against
the H1N1 flu.
Sample
Message for Your Employees
To help prevent an outbreak of flu or H1N1 flu within your organization,
establish a “do not come to work” policy for employees who report flu-like
symptoms. The policy you adopt should be clearly communicated to your
employees both in writing and verbally by managers. Below is a sample
announcement which Vistage members can use or modify.
As news continues to emerge about the outbreak of H1N1 flu, we want to
be sure that everyone at our company is equipped with the best
information about how to cope with this potentially serious disease.
Our
official company policy until further notice is that all employees who
are sick with cold or flu-like symptoms should either work from home or
take PTO and stay at home until symptoms are gone.
Business operations are normal at the present time; our office is open
for business. All employees should report to the office according to
their normal work schedule. We are carefully monitoring the evolving
H1N1 flu outbreak. If you or someone in your family is ill with the flu
please stay home until all symptoms have cleared.
Q. Should I stay home if I have flu symptoms?
A. Yes. If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with
other people as much as possible to keep spreading your illness to
others. You should record that time as PTO.
Q. If I stay home because my child’s school or daycare is closed or
because a family member has the flu, how will my pay be handled?
A. If your job allows and with your manager’s approval, you can work
from home for this period.
Q. What if my job doesn’t allow me to work from home?
A. You should record that time as PTO.
Q. Where can I find the most current information regarding how H1N1 flu
is transmitted, treated and when one should see a doctor?
A. Refer to
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/swineflu_you.htm.
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For more
information see:
Q&A from the Centers for Disease Control: Swine Influenza and You
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